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Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal578.49 Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal is a military award of the Second World War. It was awarded to any member of the United States Military who served in the Pacific Theater from 1941 to 1945 and was created on November 6, 1942 by *Federal Register for Executive Order 9265 issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was designed by Thomas Hudson Jones. The reverse side was designed by Adolph Alexander Weinman and is the same design as used on the reverse of the European-African-Middle Eastern and American Campaign Medals. There were 21 Army and 48 Navy/Marine official campaigns of the Pacific Theater, denoted on the service ribbon by campaign stars; some construction battalion units issued the medal with Arabic numerals. The Arrowhead device is authorized for those campaigns which involved participation in amphibious assault landings. The Fleet Marine Force Combat Operation Insignia is also authorized for wear on the medal for sailors attached to the Marine Corps. The flag colors of Japan and the United States are visible in the ribbon. The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal was first issued as a service ribbon in 1941. A full medal was authorized in 1947, the first of which was presented to General of the Army Douglas MacArthur. The European Theater equivalent of the medal was known as the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal. Army campaigns Authorized Army military campaigns for the Pacific Theater are as follows:Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal description, Clothing and Insignia PSID, US Army TACOM * Philippine Island 7 Dec 41 - 10 May 42 * Burma, 1942 7 Dec 41 - 26 May 42 * Central Pacific 7 Dec 41 - 6 Dec 43 * East Indies 1 Jan 42 - 22 Jul 42 * India-Burma 2 Apr 42 - 28 Jan 45 * Air Offensive, Japan 17 Apr 42 - 2 Sep 45 * Aleutian Islands 3 Jun 42 - 24 Aug 43 * China Defensive 4 Jul 42 - 4 May 45 * Papua 23 Jul 42 - 23 Jan 43 * Guadalcanal 7 Aug 42 - 21 Feb 43 * New Guinea 24 Jan 43 - 31 Dec 44 * Northern Solomons 22 Feb 43 - 21 Nov 44 * Eastern Mandates 7 Dec 43 - 14 Jun 44 * Bismarck Archipelago 15 Dec 43 - 27 Nov 44 * Western Pacific 17 Apr 44 - 2 Sep 45 * Leyte 17 Oct 44 - 1 Jul 45 * Luzon 15 Dec 44 - 4 Jul 45 * Central Burma 29 Jan 45 - 15 Jul 45 * Southern Philippines 27 Feb 45 - 4 Jul 45 * Ryukyus 26 Mar 45 - 2 Jul 45 * China Offensive 5 May 45 - 2 Sep 45 Navy campaigns Authorized Navy military campaigns for the Pacific Theater are as follows:Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual, NAVPERS 15,790 (REV.1953), Part III. - List of Authorized Operations and Engagements, ASIATIC-PACIFIC AREA *Pearl Harbor--Midway December 7, 1941 *Wake Island (Johnston Island December 15–22, 1941) December 8–23, 1941 *Philippine Islands Operation December 8, 1941 – May 6, 1942 *Netherlands East Indies engagements January 23 – February 27, 1942 *Pacific Specified Raids—1942 February 1, 1942 – March 10, 1942 *Coral Sea May 4–8, 1942 *Midway June 3–6, 1942 *Guadalcanal-Tulagi landings (including First Savo) August 7–9, 1942 *Capture and defense of Guadalcanal August 10, 1942 – February 8, 1943 *Makin Raid August 17–18, 1942 *Eastern Solomons (Stewart Island) August 23–25, 1942 *Buin-Faisi-Tonolai raid October 5, 1942 *Cape Esperance (Second Savo) October 11–12, 1942 *Santa Cruz Islands October 26, 1942 *Guadalcanal (Third Savo) November 12–15, 1942 *Tassafaronga (Fourth Savo) November 30 – December 1, 1942 *Eastern New Guinea operation December 17, 1942 – July 24, 1944 *Rennel Island January 29–30, 1943 *Consolidation of Solomon Islands February 8, 1943 – March 15, 1945 *Aleutians operation March 26 – June 2, 1943 *New Georgia Group operation June 20 – October 16, 1943 *Bismarck Archipelago operation June 25, 1943 – May 1, 1944 *Pacific Specified Raids—1943 August 31, 1943 – October 6, 1943 *Treasury-Bougainville operation October 27 – December 15, 1943 *Gilbert Islands operation November 13 – December 8, 1943 *Marshall Islands operation November 26, 1943 – March 2, 1944 *Asiatic-Pacific Specified Raids—1944 February 16, 1944 – October 9, 1944 *Western New Guinea operations April 21, 1944 – January 9, 1945 *Marianas operation June 10 – August 27, 1944 *Western Caroline Islands operation August 31 – October 14, 1944 *Leyte operation October 10 – November 29, 1944 *Luzon operation December 12, 1944 – April 1, 1945 *Iwo Jima operation February 15 – March 16, 1945 *Okinawa Gunto operation March 17 – June 30, 1945 *3d Fleet operations against Japan July 10 – August 15, 1945 *Kurile Islands operation February 1, 1944 – August 11, 1945 *Borneo operations April 27 – July 20, 1945 *Tinian capture and occupation July 24 – August 1, 1944 *Consolidation and capture of Southern Philippines February 28 – July 20, 1945 *Hollandia operation (Aitape Humboldt Bay-Tanahmerah Bay) April 21 – June 1, 1944 *Manila Bay-Bicol operations January 29 – April 16, 1945 *U.S.S. Navajo—Salvage operations August 8, 1942 – February 3, 1943 *Action off Vanikoro July 17–21, 1943 *Naval Group China (6 months duty required) February 19, 1943 – May 4, 1945 *Task Group 30.4 May 22 – June 15, 1944 *Task Group 12.2 July 5 – August 9, 1944 *Specified Minesweeping Operations Pacific June 23, 1945 – March 2, 1946 *Submarine War Patrols (Pacific – 1 star for participation in each war patrol) December 7, 1941 – September 2, 1945 Other campaigns For members of the military who did not receive campaign credit, but still served on active duty in the Pacific Theater, the following “blanket” campaigns are authorized for which the medal is awarded without service stars. *Antisubmarine December 7, 1941 – September 2, 1945 *Ground Combat: December 7, 1941 – September 2, 1945 *Air Combat: December 7, 1941 – September 2, 1945 See also *Arrowhead device *Awards and decorations of the United States military References External links *Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal - Criteria, Background, and Images *Navy Authorized Pacific Theater Engagements *US Army TACOM, Clothing and Insignia PSID, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal Category:United States campaign medals